KEY ISSUES: New school district offices; school safety; student test scores; live public input at school board meetings

RECOMMENDATION: Two-term incumbent Debbie Hawley faces a challenge for the District 1 seat she has held since 2010 from airline captain and parent of two St. Lucie County students, Steven Allen.

Hawley is a fourth-generation resident of St. Lucie County. She is proud to be a full-time school board member. Prior to being elected in 2010, Hawley oversaw operations in her family's citrus business.

Steven Allen(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO FROM STEVEN ALLEN)

Allen is running because of perceived wastefulness in school board spending and an alleged lack of transparency at school board meetings.

Hawley touts the "tremendous strides" the district has made in recent years in student test scores and school grades. She noted when she was first elected to the board that St. Lucie schools were ranked No. 53 out of 67 counties in Florida. This year, the district ranked No. 22.

Hawley also noted St. Lucie's graduation rate now tops 90 percent, up from 60 percent 8 years ago.

Allen is more skeptical. He pointed to the district's low ranking (60th of 67) in third-grade reading levels and said the district is in the lowest third of all Florida counties in other test scores.

"We are by no stretch of the imagination a stellar school district," Allen told the Treasure Coast Newspapers Editorial Board. "The graduation rate falsely portrays the state of schools here."

Hawley countered that criticism by maintaining that academic standards are on the rise in St. Lucie County.

Allen's biggest criticism of school board policy is the $27 million price tag for new district administration offices to be built in St. Lucie West. The new offices will replace those abandoned at the Orange Blossom Business Center in Fort Pierce, which were badly damaged by flooding during Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Allen believes the cost of the new complex is wasteful in light of other district needs. He said the district has enough vacant land and underutilized schools without purchasing new property.

Hawley effectively countered that some of the cost of the new offices will be covered by insurance payouts, which cannot be used for other operational purposes.

Allen also is critical of how school board meetings currently are conducted. He believes administrators routinely consign important decisions without discussion to the consent agenda. In the interests of full transparency, Allen would like to see public comments broadcast on live TV, as is done during the first section of meetings.

It's a valid criticism, and Allen is a worthy challenger. Our editorial board agrees with his call for greater transparency at school board meetings. We would like to see all public comments broadcast, as is done in other counties.

In general, however, we believe Hawley's track record warrants rewarding her with another term on the board. She has presided over a period of significant improvement in academic standards, even if much work still remains to be done.

TCPalm’s candidate recommendations are decided collectively by its editorial board. Recommendations are based on nonpartisan criteria that prioritize the best candidates for our local community.